Wrap up 'ridiculous' lawsuit

Posted: Saturday, November 20, 1999

The only people who really benefit from United States vs. Microsoft are trial lawyers, as the now-inevitable wave of class-action suits against Microsoft from ''harmed'' customers washes over the legal system.

Assistant Attorney General and lead Microsoft prosecutor Joel Klein, who has the presumption to claim his job is to ''correct market imbalances,'' might feel more at home in a government-run, Soviet-style economy.

But at least he isn't seeking massive fines against Microsoft. A settlement that doesn't tie up Microsoft in regulatory knots for decades seems possible. More likely, Microsoft will try to delay the case into its inevitable irrelevancy.